Banana Bros Salt and pepper set in thermoplastic resin- Handdecorated- 6½ x 2¼ - h 2 in.

The latest series of products designed by Stefano Giovannoni was the result of a collaboration between Alessi and the National Palace Museum of Taiwan, when the museum approached Alessi as part of its effort to open itself yet further to the international scene, and to encourage greater awareness of Chinese history and culture in the west. Giovannoni was chosen for the task to imagine and design a sort of mascot for the new museum of the 21st century.   Coming into close contact with the extraordinary collection of art works at the National Palace Museum set Giovannoni�s imagination racing, inspiring him to explore the millennial tradition of Chinese applied arts and develop his own contemporary interpretation of them. This interpretation is in keeping with the playful style of which our designer is an acknowledged master, a characteristic that, in the designs presented today, takes a very new form.  It is important to remember that the objects presented here, just like the ones in the �Chin Family�, characters or flowers and fruits, each performing the roles of domestic household objects, are made partly in hand-decorated plastic and partly in fine bone china, also hand-decorated. The magic of Giovannoni�s design lies in the fact that these objects recall the grace of 18th century ceramic trinkets, while at the same time being utterly contemporary!